The world is not in a good way.

There are countless people starving, bombed, abused, homeless. And that’s the tip of the iceberg. Under the surface we have rising living costs and falling wages, corruption and greed and bank bailouts and oil spills, and a global medical emergency (we’re not getting healthier; we’re getting fatter and more depressed and more autistic). While those “in power” continue to treat the natural world with total and utter contempt.

So, thank you Donald Trump, thank you.

Let me explain:

A true addiction only ends in one of two ways:

Either we hit rock bottom and rise back up.
Or we stay there.

Addiction takes you down.
Rock bottom might wake you up.

Well, we’re all addicts. Oh, you didn’t know?
Let me repeat: we’re all addicts. There’s not a person you know who isn’t addicted to something, and yes, that includes you.

And we’re living in such miserable conditions (compared to the majesty and joy and dignity that is our potential state) that it may be getting close to decision time.

And it is a decision.

To Rise up, or to hang around down here a bit longer?

The outside world is a reflection, creation, and projection of our inner world.

In a way, the hole in the ozone and global warming and rainforest destruction have become distractions. We are manipulated into fear of what will happen and in fear we remain distracted, disempowered, and disconnected from ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

The irony is that the very thing we are distracted by is the thing we should be paying attention to, focusing on, being present to. Now, fearlessly, it’s urgent.

The house is burning down.

We should recognize the outer catastrophe for what it is: a sign, a symptom of inner disharmony. And fix it.

We should but we don’t. Until now we’ve been entranced with the outer.

We didn’t hit rock bottom yet. That’s all.

To me, a world with even the notion of a President Trump looks a lot like rock bottom. This looks like rock bottom to me. That we’re all creating this world, in which we are electing into office the people that we are electing into office, looks pretty ugly.

Don’t get me wrong. This world, this earth, this life of ours is beautiful.

But society is broken in such an ugly way. We aren’t present with our children. We indoctrinate them with nonsense (for example, I am expected to send my five year old son for a “psychological test” before he can get into school. There is no excuse for this ridiculousness. We start subjecting our children to tests before they are even born. “I think you’re perfect son, but I’m going to let them subject you to endless tests just in case I’m wrong about that.” What does this teach our children? Please consider this question deeply).

We program them like the robots we have become.

We even send our children to war. Not fighting for anything honourable, either. Wars for oil, wars for “power,” wars for “territory.”

So, while it pains me to say it, I say:

“Donald, bring it.”

If that’s what we need to wake the f*ck up from our enslavement to a corrupt and broken society, Donald, let’s see what you’ve got.

Maybe, just maybe that is what it will take to bring us to that cold, hard, dark place in which enough of us stand up and choose to do things differently. Maybe that is the tipping point at which enough human beings remember who they really are and begin to rise back up.

In which case, great! The end justifies the means.

Or perhaps we don’t need that. Perhaps we’re ready to ask the one question that might save us without the need for Donald’s presidential intervention:

“How do I wake up, reclaim my power, and co-create a reality of my choosing?”

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Ben Ralston has been practising personal development—necessity being the Mother of invention—since he was about six years old. He’s been teaching and sharing what he’s learnt along the way for a couple of decades. His main thing is Heart of Tribe retreats—whose very purpose is to help you fall back in love with life, no less. Leading these retreats alongside his woman Kara-Leah Grant—also an elephant journal writer (that’s how they met!)—they combine a deep well of lineage-based yoga teaching experience, with expertise in healing trauma and various other methods of personal development. Ben also works with clients one-on-one via Skype, writes, makes videos from time to time, and is passionate about parenting.
He lives in an intentional, tribal community in the hills of Croatia, where you might find him gardening barefoot and talking to the rocks. Connect with Ben on Facebook or YouTube or check out his website for more info.

20 Comments

I used to think this about past elections. Like, maybe in a way, the worst candidate would actually be better for the country, even for someone super fringe/lefty “liberal,” so that people could see how bad things really are. But you are actually the one that made me think differently…

When I first started doing personal development work, I was annoyed by my family who I could now see were still stuck in old patterns. I remember saying I wanted to “shake them” out of it. And you said that it sounded like I thought I was better than them now, and that I needed to have more empathy for them.

And so similarly, once I “saw the light” about the way the world really works, I used to get impatient/angry with people who I thought needed to wake up and see our enslavement, and the destruction we are creating.

And I also realized that I wasn’t the first one to be awakened. And I get that “tough love” can be compassionate, but if someone with more awareness wished for me to hit rock bottom soon because my lack of awareness was causing them too much pain, I would tell them to go f themselves.

Good article, Ben. I only cringe at the destruction and terror Trumpf would inflict on innocent people of other countries, let alone domestically – creating more divisiveness and polarizing us even more. Sad thought 🙁 We would do well to wake the flock up, take back our democracy by voting (if primaries are still upcoming in your state) and instill the importance of voting in our youth. Maybe someday in their lifetimes voting will become a simple ‘one person/one vote’ as it should be! (GO BERNIE!)

I think through Man's history the statement "We are manipulated into fear of what will happen and in fear we remain distracted, disempowered, and disconnected from ourselves, each other, and the world around us." Has always been around….the trouble being in today's society, social media affects us far more. 20 odd years ago you read the "Horror" stories in the newspaper, today, it is "In your home" and you see it on Social media. A well written article.
Thank you for sharing. Donald Trump is protrayed as capitalist bully/red neck to the rest of the world. Thank you Ben, hopefully, the fear of Donald Trump becoming president will not happen. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." There are a lot of good people in Amercia, hopefully they will vote.
PS In Australia it is compulsory to vote.

And here, I thought 9/11/01 was certainly bad enough that it would become the catalyst for people to start waking up. I don't even recognize certain friends any longer, with their nasty, vile political postings on social networks. I have unfollowed many, questioning how I can be "friends" with someone who displays no rational thinking or compassion for fellow human beings. I'd rather sit alone on my personal shore of reason and sanity than stand amidst a crowd of lunatics.

Perhaps Trump is or isn't rock bottom. Maybe blindly following the establishment that is bought and paid for by lobbyists and big donors is rock bottom. Thankfully the president can't do much by himself, we can wake up and fix congress next.

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